


We Were Once Strangers

by NatashaRS



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: First Kiss, First Meetings, Jedi Ben Solo, M/M, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Stolen Kisses, Teasing, Teenagers, Time Skips, Young Ben Solo, Young Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-10 20:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7004785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaRS/pseuds/NatashaRS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>General Hux has many reasons for hating Kylo Ren, but the biggest (and least heard of) is that their meeting aboard the Finalizer wasn't their first encounter. In fact, it was their fifth. And, as Hux observed, the only thing that had changed about Ren was his name. (This is the story about the four times that Hux met Ben Solo, and what he thought of Kylo Ren after that.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank the lovely [@jeusus](https://jeusus.tumblr.com/) for doing art for this piece, and I hope that they enjoyed the Big Bang as much as I did. I know it wasn't the original one that they wanted, but I'm glad they still got to participate and hope that the other story eventually gets published. You should definitely go follow jeusus right now.
> 
> The piece of art has its own page (Chapter 6). 
> 
> (And, as a last note, you can find me at [nat-fic.tumblr.com](https://nat-fic.tumblr.com/).)

_I’m bored. I’m so terribly, painfully bored._

Ben sighed as he leaned against the metal crates in the spaceport. His thick, dark jacket kept his arms warm, and his black pants were comfortable on his legs, but his face was exposed to the cool air circulating through the open space that he found himself in. The ship he’d arrived in was docked nearby, empty of passengers at the time, but Ben wasn’t going to spend a minute longer than what was needed on that old piece of garbage. So instead, while his parents carried out some important task or another, he leaned against the crates.

_Maybe I’ll get one of those masks that I always see Dad’s bounty-hunter “friends” wear. Mom will never let me, but I think I can get Uncle Chewie on my side,_ he thought as he brushed a dirty blond curl out of his face. Sighing, he walked to a nearby crate that stood alone. He climbed on top of it, which gave him access to a stack of two crates, which he also climbed up on. Next was a stack of three, which he successfully clambered onto, but he frowned as he realized that the next highest stack was spaced a bit away from the crates he’d been trying to conquer.

He glanced around, brown eyes checking for anyone paying attention to him. Once he determined that the coast was clear, he smiled to himself as he jumped and took a deep breath, crossing a distance larger than should have been physically possible for him to cross, and yet landing safely nevertheless. _What mom doesn’t see, mom can’t be mad about_. He swung his legs over the side of his “throne” and kicked his feet back and forth. It was a rather good spot for spying on other people, in his opinion.

A few busy individuals came and went - nobody worth his attention - and Ben found that too much time was passing for his liking. He was under explicit orders to watch the ship, but he just couldn’t bear sitting still for such a long time. The boy was halfway through a groan when he noticed someone unusual walking by. Ben grinned and climbed down, landing right in front of the person he’d spotted from his perch.

“Is it real?”

“Excuse me?” the boy’s eyebrows raised as Ben looked on him with bright eyes.

“You’re from the Core Worlds, aren’t you? I can tell by your accent.”

“Yes, but, um, please excuse me...,” the other boy tried to brush past Ben, but Ben simply stepped to the side and blocked him.

_I’m taller,_ he thought with an internal smile. “You didn’t answer. Is your hair real? Or is it dyed that color?”

The boy looked up, as if to examine his own orange hair, before gazing back at Ben and nodding.

“Uh-yes. Yes, it’s real.”

Ben’s smile grew and he revealed white teeth as he reached forward to touch the redhead’s hair. The boy pressed his eyebrows together at the action before brushing Ben’s hand out of the way. Once more, he tried to step past the nosy kid.

“I’m afraid I’ve got to go,” he said as he continued walking in the direction he’d been heading before Ben had stopped him.

“I’m Ben,” Ben responded, falling in step besides the slightly shorter boy.

“Hello, Ben. I’m Bre-,” the redhead sighed. “I’m Brel.”

“Well, Brel, it’s nice to meet you. I like your hair, that color isn’t very common. At least not if it’s natural. It must be nice to have hair that color. Mine’s light, but I hope it turns really dark someday. Mom says it won’t but I don’t believe her.”

Brel stared straight forward and hummed in response. Ben knew that the boy dressed in all grey (crisp clothes too made of stiff cloth and designed with a nice collar) was trying to ignore him, but he didn’t particularly care.

“How old are you, Brel?”

“Fourteen.”

Ben stopped in his tracks, grabbing the other boy’s arm as he did so, and responded with wide eyes. “But you’re so short!”

Brel reclaimed his wrist. “Am not!”

His hand flew to his mouth as he tried to stifle a laugh. “Are too! You’re shorter than me and I’m ten!”

Brel’s mouth hung open. “I’m tall enough! So what if a brat like you is tall!”

Ben couldn’t stop laughing. “Soooo short! I bet you’ll be that small your entire life!”

“Stop it!”

“You-haha-couldn’t-ahah-make me!”

Brel lunged at Ben and pushed him back, causing both of the boys to fall against the ground.

“Take it back!”

“No way!” Ben responded with a smile, shoving Brel over and taking his place on top. “See? You’re so small you can’t even take on a ten year-old.”

Brel’s eyebrow twitched as he sent Ben tumbling over, but Ben countered and so they kept rolling until their bodies collided with a tall, furry structure. Their collision was followed by a loud rawr.

“Oh, hi Uncle,” Ben said with a smile as he flew onto his feet and yanked his companion up by the hand.

“This is Brel,” he pointed to the redhead who was standing beside him. Ben stifled a laugh when he noticed how stiff his new acquaintance had become. “He’s my friend. We just met. He likes to fight just like me.”

Ben could sense Brel’s opposition to those statements, but something, perhaps the rare appearance of a 7.5 foot fur-coated alien, kept him silent.

Chewbacca responded, shaking his head while scolding the young boy.

“We were just having a little fun!”

“Rgrgrgrgrgrg.”

“Okay, we won’t fight again, I promise.”

Chewbacca nodded and then gave both boys a pat on the head before walking off. Once he was gone, Ben let all barriers break and elbowed Brel in the ribs, nearly crying as laughter took over his entire body.

“You should’ve seen your face! Haha! Have you never seen a Wookie before?”

“As a matter of a fact, no,” Brel responded while straightening his clothes. “I need to go.”

“You can’t.”

The redhead pursed his lips, “Why not?”

“Because you’re lost.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“I could tell,” Ben responded with a smug smile, “It was pretty obvious by the way your red head was turning back and forth.”

Brel’s cheeks turned a soft shade of pink - it reminded Ben of the delicate flowers he’d once found on Relcot.

“I-uh,” Brel stammered. “Is that why you started following me? So you could show me the way?”

The younger child’s eyes widened and he hung his head.

“That...hadn’t occurred to me.”

“I can’t believe you. I can’t believe this!” Brel pinched his nose. “I need to find my father.”

Ben popped his head back up. “I can help. I know this place like the back of my hand. Mom and dad come here all the time for uh...trading. Yeah, we’re traders. See, my dad’s like this super famous trader and a lot of people want to see him, for lots of reasons. And my mom knows a lot of people too. They all like her, except the ones that don’t. But they don’t like my dad either. But my Uncle-”

“Okay okay! You can help.”

“Great!” Ben responded with a toothy grin. “Which bay was your ship in?”

“I don’t...remember. There was a service area near it though. Some male Twi’lek was there talking to a couple of people. Big yellow sign over it.”

Ben rolled his eyes, “That’s Gart. I don’t like Gart. But I know where your ship is, so follow me.”

The two backtracked through the bay they met in before making their way through a few different corridors, the youngest boy talking nonstop the entire time. He told Brel all about his piloting skills and how his dad wouldn’t let him fly their old ship even though he was good enough, and how he tried taking it once without permission and his parents got mad at him before fighting all night about it. The redhead barely commented, but Ben didn’t seem to care. From stories about target practice to his least favorite food being served, he wouldn’t shut up. And, of course, every now and then he threw in a quip about his companion’s short stature and red hair.

“You know, it’s rude to make fun of people. I-We have feelings and-”

“Shhh,” Ben said, yanking Brel down behind some boxes.

“What are you-”

He cut the redhead off by clamping his hand over the older boy’s mouth.

“I said shhh!”

Satisfied with Brel’s nod, Ben peered around the crates to spy on the men that he’d seen talking. _They’re discussing my mom..._ , he thought. _She’s gonna kill me if I get caught by them. What should I do? And what about Brel? This is his bay, but I can’t leave him here with trouble like that. I mean, I can, but I don’t want to._

“What are you looking at? You’re thinking too loud,” Brel whispered.

“See those men over there? They’re trouble,” Ben responded and moved his head over so that Brel could take a peak.

The older boy took one second to look at the four men with grey hair and stark faces before opening his mouth, when Ben cut him off again by grabbing his shoulder and forcing both of their bodies to duck behind the crate again.

“I’ve got a plan, follow me!”

He yanked Brel’s arm and began to crawl on his remaining limbs through the maze of crates left in the bay. _I think there’s a hatch of some sort over there that I got in trouble for going through once. I was only exploring, and now we’ll be saved because of it. Yet dad says that I never do anything useful!_

“Ben, wait a minute.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us out of here.”

“Ben,” Brel complained while still following the determined boy. “Those men aren’t trouble.”

“Yes they are, they like the old Empire. And they don’t like my mom...or me.”

Brel stopped and yanked hard on Ben’s arm.

“What did you say your name was again?”

“You forgot? It’s Ben.”

“Ben what?”

“Ben Solo. Now come on! I don’t have time for this. We’re almost there.”

Brel stood up and placed a hand on his hip.

“I have a better way out of this, come with me.”

“My way is fine, come on!” Ben whispered aggressively.

“Ben,” Brel responded, slipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small silver blaster.

“Oh,” Ben stood up. “Are you gonna shoot me? Because I’ve been shot at before. I mean, I really hope you don’t shoot me because that would be bad. And blasters are no way to get your way. I’ve tried, didn’t work out well. Is this because I teased you? It’s okay to be short. Not really, a ten year-old shouldn’t be taller than you but I am and that’s okay.”

“Stop it! Just…stop! It’s on stun but I’ll still shoot you.”

“Why, Brel?” Ben asked quietly, glancing over at the men who hadn’t noticed them yet.

“God you’re an idiot. I’m not Brel, I’m Brendol. Brendol Hux. Son of that man over there.”

“This makes a lot more sense now.”

“Yeah,” Brendol sighed. “Come on, dad will be happy I found the Organa-Solo’s son.”

“About that...”

“Stop it! I don’t want to shoot you, you know.”

Ben looked into Brendol’s eyes and noticed their green-blue color for the first time. _Foamy, like the sea on...what was the name of that planet? They had great food. I want some right now._ Another sigh from the redhead snapped Ben’s thoughts back on track. _He looks like he means it. He doesn’t want to shoot._

“I know. But...”

_Mom’s gonna kill me_.

“You shouldn’t point blasters at people.”

The blaster went flying through the air and straight into Ben’s hand, causing Brendol to take a step back at the unexpected, and certainly unnatural, movement.

“I don’t want to shoot you either,” Ben said as he pulled the trigger and turned tail, making a mad dash for the hatch.

He ignored the yelling behind him, and instead elected to listen to the odd compulsions in his body which told him to move in subtle directions - compulsions which allowed him to dodge blasts aimed at his back. Just where he thought it was, he spotted the hatch he’d been looking for and tore off the metal panel quickly before diving inside.

_Mom is so gonna kill me._


	2. The Second

Oddly enough, it was way too loud in the club for Ben’s tastes. Despite growing up surrounded by people, and dealing with the yelling that his family did, he had always found himself drawn to quiet, calm places. Places like the pond next to one of the New Republic’s bases that they’d stayed on for a while. It had been relaxing there - an excellent spot for meditation. He didn’t meditate often, but it was always nice to tell his Uncle Luke that he had (and not lie about it) when the strange man visited. The same uncle that Ben had started training with after the young man’s last meltdown. There were lots of nice spots in the temple too - one of the perks of his Jedi training - but it was lonely. And with loneliness came the visions and the voices; things that Ben did not want to deal with.

He took a step out onto the balcony to watch the twinkling lights and the flying cars of the city below. Fresh, cold air met his face as the music faded with every step, and the cacophony of accents melted into the soft hums and whispers of the outdoors. The transparisteel doors shut behind him and he made his way towards the ledge so that he could turn his back and lean on it. _This way, I’ll have some peace and still get to watch her until we get a chance to talk._

Before he finished turning around, a _swoosh_ met his ears as the doors opened behind him, and someone else stepped out. They didn’t say anything, they simply strode over to the opposite side of the balcony. Their footsteps stopped and, after a few seconds passed, the smell of a lit cigarra drifted through the air. Ben wrinkled his nose. He never liked the smell of the drug, even though he’d been exposed to it many times. Bars and cantinas always reeked of cigarra smoke and he hated when it got into his clothes. Not afraid to say anything, he turned to ask the newcomer to quit it when his words were caught in his throat.

“Is that...real?”

The redhead looked down at the rolled tube in his hand and then to Ben.

“Yes.”

“No, not the cigarra. I know that’s real from the smell. I mean your hair, is the color real?”

The man scrunched his eyebrows and paused for a moment. Ben thought the expression made him look silly in comparison to his formal, military-like appearance. He wasn’t too much older than Ben himself, but the redhead’s clothing gave off the impression of someone old and uptight.

“You.”

“Hello Brendol.”

“You don’t know me, so it should just be Hux to you. Not to mention the fact that I’m older than you.”

Ben took a few steps forward and frowned as he noticed the height difference. “You grew. You’re taller than me now.”

“As expected. I’m an adult, you’re a boy.”

“Adult my ass! You’re what? Nineteen? I’m fifteen now and that’s not a big difference. Plus, I’ll be taller than you in no time, Brendol.”

He said the last word with a smile.

“That’s Hux.”

“What about Brel? Is Brel better?”

“Why are you like this?!” Hux said while clenching his fist. He looked as if he wanted to stomp his foot with his last statement, and the mental image made Ben laugh.

“Like this? At least I’m not pouting about my name.”

“You are harassing me and being childish though.”

Ben crossed his arms. “I am a child. Well not really, I’m old enough to get into this place. But I have an excuse, people expect me to be immature. You don’t.”

“I do when I’m around you.”

“And what’s that?” Ben replied with a crooked brow.

“You shot me!”

Ben threw his arms up into the air. “You pointed the gun at me first!”

“What was I supposed to do? My father was right there! I would have gotten in trouble for letting you escape which, by the way, I did!”

“Oh fill the oceans of Glee Anselm why don’t you. So what if you disappointed your dad? I do it all the time.”

If his last sentence came out in a softer tone than the others, then it was a mistake (or so he told himself). Brendol sighed and brought his cig up to his lips, taking a breath of smoke while keeping his eyes on Ben.

“You know I’m going to have to bring you with me, right?”

“I think that’s my line, Brel. I’m here for my mom anyway, might as well do something extra good to surprise her.”

“And what are you doing for your mom exactly?”

Ben leaned against the railing and looked inside the club. “Nothing a short redhead needs to know!”

“The correspondent for the weapons manufacturer. I expected someone to show up and persuade him to sign with them first - there’s many organizations interested in their new technology, after all. I just didn’t expect the New Republic to send a boy.”

“Well this boy,” Ben flopped his head onto his shoulder to look at Hux and pointed a finger at his own face, “Is gonna save your life.”

Before Brendol could respond, Ben lunged at him and hugged him tightly around the waist, and then used all of his strength to launch them off of the balcony. Just as they cleared the edge, an explosion went off in the club which sent them tumbling (and falling) through the air. Brendol clutched tightly onto Ben, which caused him to smirk as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do next. _Falling - Check. Landing?_ he thought. _Working on it._

Three speeders were coming, each at a different speed and in a slightly different location. He closed his eyes for a second to reach out to the air, the machines, the life within the vehicles, and pinpointed the exact one that they needed to land on - and he hoped that he was right. Changing their angle, he forced their bodies to accelerate towards the ground, and reached out to slow them down at the last second. An invisible force braced their fall, and they landed messily in the back of a bright orange speeder with a very angry Bothan yelling at them.

“Sorry!” Ben yelled as the man navigated the speeder towards the ground below and ordered them to get out.

Ben thanked him and grabbed Hux’s arm, dragging him out of the speeder and onto the rocky pathway that they’d landed on. The city of Tur’a was grand with beautiful buildings, but, unlike many of the galaxy’s other large cities, was covered by a forest at ground level. It was important to the founders of the city that nature not be driven from daily life.

“I didn’t know that you speak Bothese,” Hux commented as he straightened his collar.

Ben shrugged. “I speak lots of languages. Mom’s been everything from a senator to a general, and Dad’s dad. Plus there’s Chewie. He laughs when I try to rawr like him, but at least I can understand what he says.”

“Hmm. The galaxy was better off when the Empire required that everyone speak the Galactic Basic Standard. Now they’ve all gone back to their lesser languages.”

Ben brushed his light brown hair out of his face. It had been messed up by the fall. Hux’s had too, but he wasn’t going to say anything.

“They did it before, just not when your wretched empire was around. But you’re saying that you don’t speak anything but GBS?”

“As part of my training I’ve learned several languages. Not as many as you it seems. But I...I also learned Lasat. It wasn’t exactly required...”

“Then why?”

“I’ve always admired it, I suppose.”

“So I was right! You aren’t just a short empire-worshipping goon!”

“And I was right too. You’re just a child.”

“You’re mad that I’m going to be taller than you again.”

“No. I’m mad that you got me stuck in this situation and let my target escape.”

“She’s fine. She got out in time, but you wouldn’t have. You should be grateful. Well...maybe not.”

Hux glared at him.

“Bye!”

Ben crouched low and took a deep breath, picturing water flowing from the top of his head through his arms and legs into the ground. It moved calmly at first and then, as he exhaled, it shot out as a stream and as a result, Ben was launched high into the air where he did a backflip into a low-flying speeder. _Now, to find that correspondent._

Ignoring the questions of the driver, Ben closed his eyes and allowed his mind to expand, just as his master had taught him too. He wasn’t entirely sure if it would work, but he knew he had to try. _One...two....three..._ On the third breath a vision appeared in his mind - a man exchanging credits for a ride. Brendol Hux was on his tail. _Okay not what I wanted to see...well maybe I little...but not what I needed to see. The correspondent please._ He took another set of deep breaths and saw only the color red. Slowly, the image sharpened and he saw a sign he recognized. A restaurant in town.

“Excuse me sir, would you mind taking me somewhere? Sorry, I got lost and panicked.”

“Sure, no problem kid,” the driver told him before inviting him to sit next to her in the front seat.

The eatery was surprisingly close, and Ben made sure to thank the woman before getting out and looking inside. However, the lady he was searching for was nowhere to be found. He was about to go inside when he spotted movement on a ledge that bordered the alley next to the restaurant. A better look at the spot revealed the figure of Brendol Hux. Ben took a deep breath and ran towards the building, pushing himself off the ground with all of his might, and then clumsily falling. His hand snatched the rail of the ledge and he started breathing hard, his heart racing as he realized just how high up he was. _Okay, more practice. I get it. I gotta get up. Gotta get up._

He heard a sigh before feeling a hand on his own, pulling him up over the rail. Hux’s green-blue eyes stared at him as he helped the boy up to safety.

“I used the Force, how’d you know to get here?” Ben asked through heavy breaths as he leaned safely against the wall.

“Tracking device,” Brendol replied, peering down below. “You stay here, I’ve spotted my target and have a contract to make.”

He looked up and pulled a gun out of his coat, which he shot at the ledge above the one they stood on. A large, four-pronged grappling hook secured itself between the bars of the railing, and he tugged on it once to make sure it was safe. Smiling at Ben, he jumped over the ledge and made his way towards the woman entering the alleyway. Ben had no idea how he’d get down. He checked for a ladder of some sort, or a way to climb his way down, but found nothing.

_Screw this. I’ll do it the hard way._

Yanking his gloves onto his hands, he made sure that Brendol was still holding onto the gun. The other boy had just touched the ground, so Ben figured that he was safe enough. Without wasting any time, he grabbed on to the thick wired that Brendol’s gun had shot out and prayed that his polyfibe-coated gloves were as sturdy as his dad had claimed them to be.

“No don’t!” Brendol shouted as Ben came down fast and hard.

Not having thought through his plan all the way, he cringed as his body slammed into Brendol’s and they both toppled over onto the ground. The correspondent, wearing a loose-hip dress and gorgeous purple makeup that accented her light blue skin rushed forward to see if they were alright.

“Excuse me? Are you the men that requested that I meet here?”

Ben stood up and shoved Brendol out of the way.

“My lady,” he said, taking the woman’s hand and kissing it. “I was sent by the New Republic to request negotiations prior to the summit in three days. I do not know who requested your presence, but surely they do not have as noble a cause as we do.”

“No need for formalities. It seems my contact is not here. Shall we go inside?”

“Wait!” Brendol said, grabbing Ben’s arm and yanking him back. Ben hit the redhead's chest with a thud and frowned as the man then tried to push past him.

Before he could stop Brendol, he heard something small fly through the air and hit the correspondent. Her eyes went wide as she grasped her chest and then crumbled to the ground. Both men rushed forward, Brendol checking her pulse while Ben searched for the object that hit her.

“She’s gone,” Brendol said.

“It was poison,” Ben replied, pulling a small silver cylindrical device out of his pocket to capture an image of the dart he’d found. “A third-party got involved. I’ll notify the authorities, but they can’t know I was here. I’ll be a suspect.”

He pulled a comm out of his robes and sent a message. Suddenly, he was aware of his need for a cloak in the chilly night air.

“What?”

“You’re still coming with me,” Brendol said.

“Nope!”

Ben dashed out of the alleyway, Brendol on his tail, and headed past the paved walkway in front of the buildings and towards the trees that separated the sides of the flyways. He heard the footsteps of the redhead behind him, following him towards the bushy growth before them. Quickly, Ben spun around and slowed down, catching the man that nearly ran into him, and pressing their lips together. It was short, uncoordinated, and has the faint taste of cigarra and wine. Unlike most of his spur-of-the-moment plans, however, it was both wonderful and effective. Brendol stood motionless for a second after Ben pulled away.

“Good bye Brendol, and thanks for the kiss!” he said with laughter as he ran straight into the trees.

_I should’ve brought him with me, he probably knows stuff about the shards of the empire. I guess my first Jedi mission wasn’t a success at all, but maybe my first kiss was?_


	3. The Third

Laughter and conversation filled the large hall as gentle Altrian music played in the background. It was from their Llaren Period - a personal favorite of Ben’s that he would listen to at a young age. He never cared much for music study, but his uncle Lando had showed it to him, and he was immediately drawn to it. For such a wreck of a human being, he had refined tastes for certain things. Amongst those things was music.

Glancing about the room, he tried to determine the importance of each person. _She’s a senator, he’s a diplomat. And that man’s just a wealthy merchant. Probably owns his own palace somewhere outside of the New Republic. Oh...is that a Hutt? Interesting. I see quite a few other mob bosses around. The invites for the gala really were extended to individuals of all kinds...as long as they were important. No wonder I’m supposed to protect Lady Sandral. Her pale blue dress is hard to lose sight of, at least._

He smiled at the waiter who offered him a drink, and resisted the urge to toss it back. It wasn’t as if he hated formal events - he grew up having to attend them - he merely despised the kind of people that went. And, he detested having to wear his formal robes. They were of similar design to his normal attire, black with many layers, the topmost forming a cross pattern across his torso, but the cloth was much finer and therefore he had to be more careful with it. Normally, smooth cloth with a gold trim around the edges, a belt embroidered with a gold pattern reminiscent of a tort shell, and genuine tor hide boots were not what Jedi wore. He only had it by chance and only wore it for important missions where he had too.

The collar, which belonged to a shirt on the bottom layer of his robes sat high on his neck, and was rather hot. He also found the asymmetrical design of the bottom of his robes, with the front trim ending just above his knee and the back trim roughly mid-calf, a bit cumbersome. It was more cloth than his normal robes had, and that was without accounting for the long sleeves which opened up so that they hung down when he lifted his hands. They were in the way, he thought. The only thing he actually liked about having to wear his formal robes was the long gold spiral twisted around one of his dark brown locks of hair. The center of this hairpiece held a deep red, diamond-shaped gem which he was quite fond of. Plus, the gold matched his padawan beads, which were tied to hair on the back of his head, and the three gold rings around his neck.

_I can’t imagine how uncomfortable some of these ladies are. No wonder mom said she would aim for more free flowing clothing. This fabric, while nice, needs to go. It’s too loose and not practical. And I can’t get it dirty. At least my lightsaber can be hidden against my thigh. Without a cloak, it’s harder to hide._

“Ah, Ben! I have someone for you to meet!”

Ben turned around to see a smiling man with a jolly belly motioning to a tall redhead beside him.

“This is Brendol Hux the Second. He’s a diplomat from Arkanis. Brendol, this is Ben Solo.”

“What a pleasure,” Brendol responded with a stiff smile, leaning in to deliver a kiss to Ben’s cheek as was the planet’s custom.

Ben responded with a kiss in turn.

“Is that Sir Heltor over there? Pardon me while you talk,” the man said with a smile as he walked off.

After giving Brendol a quick one-over, Ben spoke.

“You clean up well. You formal Arkanian attire suits you.”

Brendol lifted an eyebrow, “Are you implying that I’ve ever looked anything but clean and neat?”

“Your hair did get messed up the last time we met, if you recall.”

Ben noticed Brendol’s sideways glance at a woman that caught wind of their conversation and began listening eagerly.

“Why don’t we head to the balcony?”

Ben nodded and walked with Brendol towards the balcony made of carved white stone. He picked up a glass of alcohol on the way and handed it to his companion as they stepped beneath the tall arches of the room and onto the balcony.

“You’re shorter than me again,” Ben said with a smile.

“And you’re what, eighteen? Still a child.”

Ben gasped while covering his mouth with one hand. “Excuse me. I am not. Do you not see my robes?”

Brendol looked Ben up and down and when he came to Ben’s eyes, the dark-haired boy raised his eyebrows, causing Brendol to look away and clear his throat.

“Clothing does not make one an adult.”

“What does then?”

“Competence. Prestige. Honor.”

“And I suppose you have that?”

“I am Lieutenant Commander, and at the age of twenty-two,” Brendol said with a smirk as he sipped at his glass.

“Not a diplomat,” Ben smiled.

“Not a diplomat. But I know you knew that. You’re here to make my life difficult, aren’t you?”

Ben looked inside the building and located the woman he was supposed to guard before answering. He could claim that she wanted space, but he knew that he wouldn’t get away with losing her.

“No, I didn’t know you’d be here. It is a big event.”

“Ha! My luck is turning.”

“Why are you here?”

Hux turned his head back towards Ben, “I have no reason to tell you.”

“Please?”

“No. I’m here to make sure I get my next rank, and I won’t have you messing it up,” he snapped.

“Why do you hate me so much Brendol?”

Ben knew that he sounded hurt, but he didn’t think that he actually was. At least, he didn’t want to be.

“For starters, you’re childish. You enjoy making fun of people and playing games, and can’t take anything seriously. And you seem to show up at the worst times.”

“It’s because I shot you isn’t it.”

“What? No. It’s because of what I just said. Besides, you shot me thirteen years ago. If I were to get mad at you for something you did, it would be...” he shook his head. “You know what.”

Ben batted his eyelashes and looked up, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do, you pompous, impudent fool. You know everything you’ve done, and I’m tired of your childish antics. If you want to be useful to anyone-”

“Stop,” Ben commanded, eyes suddenly dark.

“Pardon me?”

“I. Said. Stop. Just shut up!” Ben replied as he grabbed the front of Brendol’s top and pulled him forward.

“Why don’t you make me?” Brendol responded.

Ben opened his mouth to say something when he heard a blaster being fired from inside the ballroom. Immediately, he called his lightsaber to his hand and ignited the weapon, dropping his glass and grabbing Brendol’s wrist. Green-blue lightsaber in front of him, he led the way into the building straight toward Lady Sandral.

“My Lady, please come quickly,” he said, letting go of his companion and taking her hand.

Feeling her shivers, he took a deep breath and sent a calming feeling through his hand and into her body. Almost instantly, she regained her breath and her shivering stilled. Together, with Brendol, they escaped the herd of people evacuating and the blasters going off. Ben looked around, but he couldn’t find a safe exit. With a sigh, he took his hand back and jammed his lightsaber straight into the ground, cutting a hole and lifting the circle he’d removed safely onto the floor next to his feet.

“Help me,” he ordered Brendol, who complied. They lifted the lady through the hole and onto the floor below.

“Here,” he said, grabbing Brendol’s own hands and helping the man down. “My lady, please find Dor Palvo - he’s a bit rough around the edges but he and my dad go way back. He’ll help you. Big man, dark skin, ridiculous red scarf. And Brendol,” he said, looking into the man’s eyes, “don’t get killed.”

Not bothering to wait for a reply, he ran at the attackers and flicked his wrist, sending a good number of them flying in all directions.

“Now for the rest of you,” he said with a smile as he twirled his lightsaber.


	4. The Fourth

The small ship descended towards the planet’s surface almost silently. Thanks to Ben’s modifications, it was a very quiet starfighter - a fact that he used to persuade his master to send him on the mission once Leia made the request. Despite his better judgement and his training, he let his desires get the better of him and pushed to go on the mission until Luke relented. It wasn’t like Ben was a bad Jedi, he was actually one of the best…they had just been having a lot of fights lately. Ben knew that it was his fault, for the most part. His insecurity and doubt was leading his mind into dark places while he experienced strong emotional outbursts, and yet he couldn’t help but feel that the rest of the Jedi did not make an effort to understand him at all, they merely judged him instead. A pain grew in his heart as he thought about his recent decline of control over the force, the aching inside him that told him he wasn’t good enough - or powerful enough - to protect the things that mattered to him, and the dull apathy that crept into his heart when he tried to figure out what exactly it was that mattered.

The nightmares and conflicts with his fellow Jedi didn’t help any. But Ben saw this mission as a break, although that was not his primary reason for going. He had overheard his mother talking with his uncle through a holocom and when she mentioned the name “Brendol Hux” something sparked inside of him. _I wonder why there are people and things that you never forget, no matter how many other things have happened to you. Despite my intense training and despite all the time, I occasionally find myself thinking about Brendol, and I remember all the times we’ve met. What makes us hold on to memories? Even when we have a voice deep inside, telling us to forget?_

_There are few other things that I instantly after being reminded. Like that time on Naboo when I was nine...the first time I’d seen the palace. I remember it like it was yesterday. I ran off and found a high window, which I threw open so that I could get a good view of the city below and it’s lovely waterways and perfectly designed buildings. I remember being taken away by the beauty and the knowledge that my grandmother was a queen there. That she once ruled courageously and even fought for her people in the realest sense. Not only that, but she was gorgeous and loved so much by her people. I can’t even imagine what that was like._

Ben saw the picture perfectly in his mind. He had laughed as he opened the window and then he was silenced by the sight before him. His heart was so warm with pride and awe. In that moment, he had wanted to be just like his grandmother. He wanted to be strong, and be able to protect the people that he loved. To be able to fight to defend them, and make the right choices should he need to lead him. And then, lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t heard his father’s cheerful call until the man repeated himself for the third time.

The Jedi blinked a few times. _I don’t think I’ve remembered the part about my dad before. But it seems real. He seemed happy...with me._ He sighed as he set down the spaceship and hopped out, ordering his astromech droid, BB-D9, to have the ship ready in case of an emergency take off. The droid beeped happily in response and stayed in the ship’s droid socket. Ben made his way across the sandy beach, listening to the ocean’s waves lap to his right. The house, more the size of a castle, was perched on a rocky cliff that protruded from the beach ahead of where Ben had landed.

Ben climbed the rocks quickly and pulled out the grappling hook attached to his belt and threw it into the air, securing it over a window ledge high above him. Luckily, the castle had windows without transparisteel. It was likely an issue of pride for the owners, as only old-fashioned windows were not closed by some means. He scaled and building in a short amount of time, and crawled through the window, finding himself in an empty hallway filled with a variety of somewhat famous paintings. _They need more security. The plasma field around the castle clearly wasn’t good enough, since I was able to slip through. Maybe I should leave them some security tips. More importantly, how am I going to find him?_

The Jedi closed his eyes, focusing on clearing his mind so that the knowledge he needed could fill the void he left, but it was to no avail. For the past few months, every time he tried to meditate or clear his mind, the only thing he saw was a murky darkness accompanied by chills which ran throughout his body. His practical skills in the force hadn’t changed, but there seemed to be something wrong with his mind. Ben sighed and decided to take a different route to solve his problem.

He searched the halls, going this way and that, hiding from anyone he came across and peeking into any rooms. Eventually, he ran out of patience and stopped a young girl - clearly a servant - who was carrying some towels.

“Excuse me miss?”

She jumped a little, “Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s alright,” he smiled. “Do you know where Brendol Hux’s room is? He’s expecting me, but I got lost... I have something for him.”

“Oh, um. Yes, of course. He’s staying in the East Wing where the guest rooms are. Let me show you.”

“Thank you so much,” Ben responded, following her through the many halls of the residence. When they came to the right door, the girl knocked before using the wall panel to unlock it and peer inside.

“Looks like he isn’t he right now. You can go in and wait.”

“Thank you,” Ben smiled again, slipping inside the room.

_Well that was easy. Now I need to find what I came for._

He searched through the surprisingly cheery room. Unlike the rest of what Ben had seen of the castle, it had more modern elements about it. The bed, for example, was made of a sleek blue metal frame, which matched the couch. The decoration was sparse, minimalistic, with holophotos of stars and ships on the wall, and a few large pots of flowers scattered about the room. Ben made for the nightstand first, of course, thinking that Hux would want to keep things close to him, but didn’t find anything of use. He checked the desk and the fresher, but still found nothing. Finally, he thought to check the closet, and sure enough there was a box tucked inside with tight security placed on it. Ben laughed and brute forced the lock by extending his hand and concentrating. After it made several unpleasant sounds, it opened and he found what he was looking for. The datachip on the First Order’s manufacturer contacts as well as the one containing information on a few locations of old Jedi temples were both in their, and he immediately tucked them into his robes before closing the box again.

He knew he was safe to go. A few steps and a trip out the window and down the building would’ve led him to his ship, but he was stopped by a sound. Footsteps echoed through the hallway outside the room. Ben knew that he had enough time to leave, to get away with the data he’d come for, but he consciously made a bad decision and decided not to. Instead grabbing a piece of fruit out of the bowl on Hux’s desk, and then flopping down onto the bed. The footsteps stopped, the door opened, and the redhead walked into the room.

As the door shut behind him, the man spoke, “Ben Solo.”

“Brendol Hux,” he continued to eat his fruit until the other man walked over to the bed. Then Ben sat up.

“You’ve made a big mistake,” Hux said, pulling out a blaster and pointing it at Ben. “It’s not on stun this time.”

Ben flicked the wrist of his free hand and the blaster went flying to the side. Hux stared at him, and Ben stood up, finishing his fruit and tossing it into the trash.

“I know. You could be nice though.”

“Why would I be?”

“It’s in your favor. You shouldn’t really be mean to taller, stronger guys.”

Hux’s eyebrow twitched, “Brute strength is for savages. But I’ll have you know that I’m a decent fighter.”

“Not a Jedi,” Ben laughed. “I could do much worse than take away your blaster, but I won’t. Now that I’m a Knight I can’t be setting a bad example.” He sighed with his last statement.

“I couldn’t care less. What are you doing here?” Hux.

“Not an accident this time - I came for something. I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough, Brendol.”

Hux stared Ben straight in the eyes, “Don’t talk to me so lightly. We are not friends by any stretch of the imagination. Your games need to end, boy.”

“Looks who’s acting high and mighty,” Ben growled.

Hux pinched his brow and wiped his face with his hands. “I don’t really want to deal with you right now. I have more important things to do than dealing with a man who’s showed up only to screw with my life.”

He continued, “Things were better without you in my life.”

He paused before continuing, “We were once strangers.”

“We were,” Ben said, his voice significantly softer than when he last spoke. “But what we once were doesn’t change what we are now. We haven’t been strangers in a long time.”

“That doesn’t mean that we are friends. Or even acquaintances.”

Ben let out a deep breath and strode over to the window, “It doesn’t, but something is pulling us together. We’re part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Hux let out a short laugh, “The Force?”

Ben turned back to the redhead, who’d made his way over to where Ben was, and stared deeply into his eyes, “Don’t you hear it calling?”

“No. Not at all.”

“That’s because you don’t listen.”

“You’re mad,” Hux said with a straight face.

“Maybe. Definitely unstable, or so they tell me. I don’t think they understand.”

Hux crossed his arms, clearly tired of the conversation, “I don’t think I do. But I will make this clear: You need to stay out of my life. The next time I see you, Ben Solo, I’ll make certain of your death.”

“Then I’ll see you in another life,” Ben said, yanking on Hux’s shirt and bringing him into a kiss.

It was deeper than the first, longer, and caused Ben’s chest to fill with warmth. Brendol’s lips were soft and tasted like wine and some thick herb Ben had tasted once as part of a rare tea. It was all too perfect, and all too short. Before he lost himself, Ben pulled away and gave the redhead a smile.

“Goodbye, Brendol Hux.”

He leapt out of the window, only throwing the grappling hook as an afterthought. A single tear ran down his face as a sudden sinking feeling took over his stomach. He didn’t know how he knew, or why he did, but he was certain that it was the last time that Ben Solo and Brendol Hux would meet. His heart told him that things would change, that the future would deviate from everything he knew, and that he’d be gone from the galaxy all too soon. It was an unavoidable reality that he had to face, but he smiled knowing that he got to see Brendol once more, and he wished upon the night that the man would have at least one moment of remorse at Ben’s own disappearance.


	5. The First, Again

Hux sat in his office, reviewing messages on his datapad. Kylo Ren was late, as he had expected, but the fact only made Hux want to throw him out of an airlock even more. He recalled meeting the knight for the first time, and the first thing that the masked man had said to him.

“What an interesting hair color, General.”

The knight said that and then strode off without another word. Hux was ready to have the man killed on the spot. If he hadn’t been the Supreme Leader’s chosen pet, he would’ve made sure the man suffered through immeasurable pain before death. Not only did the general have to deal with a man that was outside of the normal chain of command, the knight was rude and childish. He was the last thing that the general needed on his ship, especially when he was trying to complete Starkiller base.

And, of course, there were the rumors that Hux had begun to hear. Rumors of the so-called Jedi Killer aboard his ship. The man was shrouded in mystery, appearing out of nowhere and yet trusted immensely by Snoke. The general had heard stories of Kylo Ren taking on defying forces in battles 1000-to-1. And his slaughter of every last man, woman, and child on the planet where the new Jedi temple had been located. He had no idea how much of it was true, but something bothered him about the “Jedi Killer” business.

Once, in between his cycles, Hux had been making his way through the hallways when the tall, dark figure of Kylo Ren appeared before him. It was nothing more than a coincidence - they had been heading in opposite directions and happened to cross paths, but Hux’s mind urged him to take the opportunity. It poked and poked until finally, when he was a few steps past the knight, the general stopped walking.

“They call you the Jedi Killer. Did you really murder all of the Jedi?”

He heard Kylo’s footsteps stop as well.

“All but one.”

A small spark lit up in Hux’s chest, although he ignored it, “Who?”

“Their master, Luke Skywalker. He is once again the last Jedi.”

The spark died with Kylo’s words. “I see.”

“Were you friends with one of them, General?” Kylo asked, his accusing tone heard despite the voice modulator.

“No. I simply met one before and was curious.”

“What was his name?”

“Ben Solo,” Hux responded, still facing away from the knight.

“Ben Solo is dead.”

Kylo continued walked, ending the conversation on that note as Hux stood still, knowing that he would never see the Jedi again.

The sound of a door sliding open brought Hux from his thoughts. He stood and walked over to a tall glass table which held a bottle of alcohol and a few glasses.

“Something to drink, Ren?”

“Why? You hate me.”

Hux snickered, “We don’t only drink with our friends. Alcohol can help us tolerate our enemies.”

“Interesting point, but I’ll have to decline.”

Hux took his drink and sat back down, meanwhile Kylo went over to the table and casually picked up the bottle to examine the label.

“I think I’ve had this before.”

“Oh really?” Hux asked with mock interest.

“At some event that didn’t matter. They served it in tall glasses, which I broke.”

“Not a surprise,” Hux replied, although he found Kylo’s statement quite odd. The general always had a bottle of the semi-transparent yellow gold liquid on hand ever since he had tried it at a gala. His mission there had been to enter negotiations with a powerful family, on behalf of the First Order, but it was spoiled by an attack...and he had dropped his glass.

Hux stood abruptly, “You.”

“Yes, General?”

“You’re Ben Solo.”

It took all of Hux’s willpower to not shatter the glass in his hand. He very rarely was inclined to let his frustrations out through spontaneous violence, but there had always been one person that made him feel otherwise.

“I _was_ Ben Solo, General. But he’s dead. I haven’t heard that name in a long time.”

_This explains everything. He’s still such a child. A child I thought was dead. And yet, he’s back, ruining my plans like he did when we were kids. How could the Supreme Leader do this to me? I worked so hard to be where I am and yet this fool gets to act like he’s earned an equal rank? A fool that was once a tool of the New Republic, and the Resistance after that? I may have felt remorse after hearing that Ben was dead, but I’m certain now that it was because I didn’t get to kill him with my own hands. And now, I will._

“We’re about to arrive at Jakku. Here’s the data on the location of the village that you requested.”

Hux shoved a holopad into Ren’s hands. “Now leave. And don’t mess this up.”

Kylo Ren took the device and stormed out.

~ * ~

“And the droid?” Hux hears Snoke question.

_He’s upset. Good. He may yet see the incompetence of his student._

“Ren believed it was no longer valuable to us,” Hux answered, entered the room.

He gave Ren a smug look, knowing he caught the man by surprise, but his mind went blank for a split-second as his eyes were met with the face of Ben Solo, and not Ren’s mask. He suppressed rising thoughts and focused on his tasks as a general.

“That the girl was all we needed. As a result, the droid has most likely been returned to the hands of the enemy. They may have the map already.”

“Then the Resistance must be destroyed before they get to Skywalker,” Snoke told them.

“We have their location. We tracked their reconnaissance ship to the Ileenium system,” Hux informed the Supreme Leader.

Snoke ordered the preparation of the weapon, while Kylo guaranteed he could get the map, with help, but the Supreme Leader wouldn’t budge. Hux understood Kylo’s reluctance to destroy the system - the general himself was not pleased with it. After all, you can’t rule a galaxy that has no people in it. But, as he left the room, he couldn’t help but be distracted by mental image of Ren without his mask. The face was clearly Ben’s...it had the same large nose and distracting moles, the same handsome awkwardness and dark brown eyes. The only difference was the hair, which was black instead of dark brown. _Did he dye it?_ Hux thought, laughing softly to himself.

Seeing Kylo’s face brought back too many memories that he’d tried to forget. Memories of a boy who had pulled him forward into a messy kiss...a _first_ kiss. It wasn’t like Hux had no sexual drive, he just had never cared enough for romance to pursue someone. And yet, the kiss was given to him. It had made his heart stop, and caused him to let the boy escape - a mistake which he paid for sevenfold once his father had found out.

It wasn’t the only time he’d paid for mistakes caused by Kylo. There was their last goodbye, and the effort that Hux had put into keeping a calm demeanor. He had cracked too many times, and allowed Kylo to slip through, to break his carefully crafted mask and stab at his heart. The man had stolen another kiss, a softer one, and then left into the night. The stolen data set Hux back in his plans by several months, and yet he never once truly wished to see the man’s face cold and lifeless.

Hux sighed as he continued walking, memories still pouring forward. The first time he’d seen that face, he was lost and trying to find his father. The boy appeared suddenly and mocked him for his height. Hux remembered how angry he got that the boy would say such things. Clearly, Kylo was tall for his age and Hux short. It was something his father commented on often and so the general lost control of his emotions and attacked the boy. But, in the end, he didn’t want to shoot him. He knew he made a mistake by not.

He hated the kid with all of his might, and didn’t at the same time. That’s why he helped him up onto the ledge - not out of pity. He’s seen the boy jumped, gasped at the feat that would have been impossible for any other human, and so he never felt pity. But he still helped the man. Even at the gala, he didn’t shoot the woman Kylo was supposed to be protecting. It wasn’t a civilized thing to do, but the revenge would have been nice. Perhaps, Hux reflected, it had to do with the shock of the attack and the sight of Kylo’s green-blue lightsaber. But, he supposed, that didn’t explain why he whispered “You too.” when Kylo’s brown eyes disappeared as he went to go defend the escaping people.

“General? Are you feeling alright?” an officer asked.

“Yes. Why?” he said to her, still walking.

“I was trying to get your attention.”

“My apologies. What is it?”

She updated him on the progress of Starkiller before rushing off.

_Even now, that boy is preventing me from doing my job. I hate him and my kindness was misplaced. He’s always ruined things for me and in general been an omen that my life was to turn into a nightmare. I hate him for it, and for the fact that even now he’s wrecking things. No one should be able to cause so much chaos, so much ruin. He’s worse now than Ben Solo was, destroying my ship and killing my crew. He can’t seem to control himself and not destroy things. And he can’t seem to stop making me feel things._

Hux arrived at the bridge and started ordering commands, shoving the image of Kylo’s surprised face out of his mind.

~ * ~

“Find an empty room to put him in!” Hux shouted at the stormtroopers carrying Kylo’s limp body.

“Pilot, get us out of here.”

“Yes, sir,” the pilot responded as the ship took off as fast as possible. They were cutting it very close.

Hux marched over to a panel and brought up footage of the planet they were leaving behind. It was erupting all over with fire, and then it lit up and exploded, releasing the energy of the sun. The general swore his revenge on the Resistance and promised to himself that he’d destroy them with his own two hands.

_No matter where they are, no matter where they hide, I will find them and crush them._

“Sir, Master Ren is receiving medical attention as we speak.”

Hux nodded and found his way to Ren’s room. The ship, at least, was used on diplomatic missions and was fairly large. He didn’t know why he was going to see Ren, he thought perhaps he would gloat, but he was going there nevertheless. The door opened and he stepped into a dimly lit room.

“Give us a moment,” he said to the medical droid, who then rushed out of the room.

Ren moaned in pain and Hux instinctively snatched a wet cloth to press to the injured man’s forwards as the general knelt down beside him.

“What is wrong with you? Always messing things up. Always mocking me and helping to tear down the First Order,” he whispered.

Kylo’s dark eyes opened and he looked straight at Hux, blinking a few times as he watched the man clean his wounds.

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t know. I never know with you. That’s why I hate you.”

“Ugh, that hurts.”

“Don’t be a child,” Hux said, continuing to treat the wound.

He dared not look at Kylo’s face when he winced. His insides twisted when he saw the man’s visible agony, and it was not a feeling that the general was accustomed to. He did, however, nearly flinch when Kylo raised his arm to brush an out of place hair from the general’s forehead. The motion was soft, delicate, and very unlike the actions he usually expected from Kylo. The injured knight’s fingers left a trail of warmth along Hux’s forehead.

“I hate you so much,” Hux whispered.

“I know, Brel.”

The general sighed, “Ben...”

Without thinking, he leaned down and placed his lips on Ben’s, allowing himself to melt into a kiss for the first time. It was not stolen, it was not fake, it was an expression of the feelings that Brendol never thought he’d want to feel. And Ben returned this kiss, his gentle lips tasting like the wild forests Brendol loved so much and the blood and sweat of a warrior. It was all too wonderful, all too perfect, for the men once known as Brel and Ben.


	6. Artwork

Art by the talented @jeusus who you can find on their [Tumblr](http://jeusus.tumblr.com/).

 


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